I Carried My Elderly Neighbor down Nine Flights During a Fire – Two Days Later, a Man Showed Up at My Door and Said, ‘You Did It on Purpose!’

“I won’t give him the chance. You’re safe. That’s what matters.”

I went back toward the stove.

Two minutes later, pounding again. Not on my door. On hers.

I yanked my door open.

He was at Mrs. Lawrence’s apartment now, fist slamming the wood.

My stomach dropped.

I stepped into the hall with my phone in my hand, screen lit. “Hi,” I said loudly, like I was already on the call.

“I’d like to report an aggressive man threatening a disabled elderly resident on the ninth floor.”

He froze and turned toward me.

“You hit that door one more time,” I said, “and I’ll make this call for real. And then I show them the hallway cameras.”

We stared at each other. His jaw worked.

He muttered a curse and stomped to the stairwell. The door slammed behind him. Silence rolled down the hallway.

I knocked gently on Mrs.

Lawrence’s door.

A pause, then the lock clicked. The door opened a few inches. She looked pale.

Her hands shook on the armrests.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t want him to bother you.”

“You don’t have to apologize for him. Do you want me to call the police?

Continue reading…